Thursday, August 9, 2018

The City of Shelton announces its 2018 Clean Sweep "Volunteer of the Year" Awards.

Hundreds of people participated in Shelton's annual Clean Sweep event last April by removing litter from their neighborhood streets, parks, and waterways. All participants were eligible for free custom iron-on patches, which featured the Hope Lake dam in 2018, as well as certificates of appreciation signed by the Mayor.

Each year, the City also give special recognition to a few of its most active volunteers:

Individual Category: Lisa Sutton

Lisa Sutton has been picking up litter around Shelton for years. One of the places she often cleans up is the Gristmill Trail area on Mill Street along the Far Mill River. The two parking areas and the fishing area around the dam are often a mess and she cleans that up. She's also picked up litter from other trailhead parking areas like the one at Eklund Garden at Shelton Lakes, from church parking lots, and from roadsides. One of Ms Sutton's pet peeves are cigarette butts, which contain plastic and are not biodegradable.

Group Category: Boy Scout Troop 28

Troop 28 has a tradition of removing large piles of debris from Shelton's Public Open Space, and they did it again in 2018. They chose a location near the Shelton Lakes Community Garden and hiking trails where abandoned junk was scattered along an area filled with thorny brush. The debris included four tires and rims, a hot water tank, a large metal desk, an old toilet, a mattress, aluminum siding, two lawn mowers, two 55-gallon drums, 6 large bags of smaller items, and other debris. Plot holders at the nearby community garden were especially happy to see the junk removed from the woods.

Business Category: Tighe and Bond

Employees at Tighe and Bond's Shelton office (1000 Bridgeport Ave.) once again cleaned up portions of Isinglass Road and Huntington Street that abut the land around Trap Falls Reservoir. They filled thirty-five large trash bags with litter and removed other items such as car parts and buckets. Tighe and Bond offers engineering and environmental consulting services.

For more information about Shelton Clean Sweep or it's Adopt-a-Street program, visit DontTrashShelton.org or contact Teresa Gallagher at conservation@cityofshelton.org